I know when reading this your first thought may be “he’s interested, duh,” but allow me to give you some context.

It’s been about 5 days that I’ve been speaking to this guy. We‘be been in contact everyday but it’s been pretty scattered, ranging anywhere between 1.5-15 hours between texts (I realize me taking note of that is odd but online dating can give me anxiety lol.) We’ve been going back and forth but it’s mainly been long, good-natured banter; witty scenarios and outlandish questions.

At first I thought he was surely interested because the majority of his responses were far from being lackadaisical. He’s very intelligent, understands my deadpan humor and can dish it right back from what seems to be effortless. Naturally, I began to wonder if that was just the person he is; you know, one of those people that just know how to bring quality conversation to the table. From what I’ve observed so far, he definitely has that quality. He just makes it hard to gauge whether or not he’s interested or just a pro at good conversation (or even a smoother talker.)

That being said, he messaged me back after some hours saying “you drop some ‘Last Dance’ lyrics and expect me not to ask for your number? You’re insane” and then proceeded by giving me his number. Like I said before, I know most people are going to say he’s interested but for some strange reason I find it a bit confusing why he couldn’t ask for mine? I guess with his response he implied that he in fact did want my number, but I can’t help but get in my head about this. A part of me is asking “why didn’t he ask for your number or wait for you to respond with yours?” Dating can be scary but online dating can add an extra layer of unease because you’re being given precisely what the other person wants you to see. Knowing just how calculated it can be is somewhat unsettling.

So I guess my questions are:

1) Am I entirely over-analyzing and is he wanting to get on a more personal level (that we haven’t been able to get to yet?) 2) Can this be seen as a “player move”- trying to get me to chase him and take note of how much he has caught my attention? 3) Is this him trying to be a gentleman by giving me the choice to make the “first move?” 4) LASTLY, is this a way of maybe showing disinterest? I know that may sound a bit crazy but I know some men say it’s a way to kind of let the conversation die down on its own. I’ve also heard that it comes from a place of indifference; not really caring if the person reaches out or not.

I know that he’s putting the ball on my court but I’m not sure how to go about this. I haven’t texted him yet because I want to sit on it before making that move. Thoughts? Apologies in advance for my word vomit, my brain runs a million miles a minute.